The Hawaii Community Development Authority is scheduled to hear plans from The Howard

The Howard Hughes Corp. is scheduled to present plans in May for its $20 million upgrade to the Kewalo Basin Harbor that’s directly across from its 60-acre Ward Village master-planned community in Honolulu.

The Hawaii Community Development Authority has scheduled a presentation hearing for May 4 at 1 p.m. at its office on Queen Street in Honolulu.

A decision-making hearing is scheduled for June 1 at 1 p.m. at the same venue.

Howard Hughes’ Kewalo Harbor Development Co. LLC is requesting a development permit from the HCDA, the state agency regulating development in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako, to do the upgrades.

The project, which has been estimated to cost between $15 million and $20 million, consists of building 214 boat slips in two phases, as well as various maintenance, upgrades and modernization of existing harbor infrastructure, including installing a dedicated marine fueling facility.

Last week, the Texas-based developer, which took over management duties of the harbor in September, received approval from the HCDA to undergo a $3.5 million upgrade on the Fisherman’s Wharf loading dock at Kewalo Basin Harbor that is part of the overall renovation of the harbor.

The Howard Hughes Corp. officially began construction Thursday on its third mixed-use condominium tower in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako, with a groundbreaking ceremony for Aeo, which includes what will be Whole Foods Market’s flagship Hawaii store.

The Texas-based developer already has two other residential towers under construction, Waiea and Anaha, which are located nearby within the 60-acre Ward Village.

“My family is looking forward to calling Ward Village home, that will soon have thousands of families calling this neighborhood home,” said Nick Vanderboom, senior vice president of development for The Howard Hughes Corp.

The 54,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market is expected to open in about two years, possibly the first quarter of 2018, with Aeo opening sometime after that.

Todd Apo, vice president of community development for The Howard Hughes Corp., told PBN that it expects to start demolition of the existing that Office Depot building on the lot toward the end of March. Office Depot is currently moving out of that space.

Demolition will begin with the warehouses in the back of the Office Depot first, with construction fencing coming up around the project in mid-March.

The parking lot of the project is expected to remain open until the end of March.

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson is partnering with Architects Hawaii Ltd. on the design of the project. Layton Construction is the general contractor.

Bounded by Queen and Kamakee streets, the block is behind the Ward Entertainment Center and also contains the former Nordstrom Rack.

Plans for Aeo also include 12,000 square feet of retail and more than 700 parking spaces in a block-filling podium to be topped with a narrow high-rise offering about 466 residential units.

No development cost was given for the project, which is named after the Aeo stilt bird that once lived the area.

“[The project] is consistent with our mission of honoring the past as we look to build a better future for this community,” Vanderboom said.

In November, the developer said that close to 35 percent of its units in Aeo are under contract.

Howard Hughes also is developing a 43-story, 424-unit mixed-use mostly affordable tower that will include a Longs Drugs ground floor store called Ke Kilohana at 988 Halekauwila at the corner of Ward Avenue and Halekauwila Street.

The project is expected to satisfy the developer’s affordable housing requirement set by state regulators.

The Howard Hughes Corp. has begun work on a space below T.J. Maxx at Ward Village in Honolulu for planned retail tenants, a spokeswoman for the Texas developer confirmed to PBN.

Howard Hughes was issued a $2.5 million building permit last week for a “Village Market” project at Suite No. 100 at 1170 Auahi St., according to public records from the City and County of Department of Planning and Permitting.

A spokeswoman for Howard Hughes told PBN that it is not a supermarket/grocery store, but that the developer is doing some work on the space beneath T.J. Maxx, which will eventually be a space for more retail tenants.

The actual name of the space is still to be determined and no timeframe for the development has been set just yet.

In addition to T.J. Maxx, the Ward Village Shops, at the corner of Kamakee and Auahi Streets, includes Nordstrom Rack, Pier 1 Imports and CorePower Yoga.

Honolulu-based Gateside Inc. is listed as the general contractor for the Ward Village Shops project.

The Howard Hughes Corporation (NYSE: HHC) announced Friday that it is launching sales for the reserved housing program in its newest Ward Village project, Ke Kilohana at 988 Halekauwila St.

Applications will be available from Saturday, March 26 until Sunday, April 3, at the Ke Kilohana Sales Gallery in the IBM Building at 1240 Ala Moana Boulevard, open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Completed applications must be returned in person between April 8 and April 13. Buyers will be selected in a lottery to be held April 15 via webcast, with home selection beginning on April 16 based on lottery placement and running throughout April.

In a statement, Ward Village explains, “The lottery will simply assign an appointment date, according to the selected order, for the buyer to come in to select his/her home and complete the contracting process. Buyers will be informed of their appointment time via email.”

There are 375 reserved housing residences reserved for qualified buyers in the 43-story, mixed-use condominium high-rise. These include one-bedrooms priced from $323,475 to $442,246, two-bedrooms priced from $473,789 to $538,612, and three-bedrooms priced from $521,774 to $560,774. The tower also includes 49 market-priced residences.

Competition for the reserved housing units may be stiff — Ward Village notes that more than 3,500 people attended informational seminars on Ke Kilohana in over December, January and February.

A. Kam Napier
Editor-in-Chief
Pacific Business News

Reserved Housing Application packets may be obtained from the Ke Kilohana Sales Gallery starting Saturday, March 26, 2016 at 10:00 a.m, and will be available for pickup through Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. Applications will not be available for pickup after Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. Prospective purchasers should carefully review the information contained in the Reserved Housing Application packet to determine whether all eligibility requirements are met.

The earliest date that completed Reserved Housing Applications will be accepted is Friday, April 8, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Reserved Housing Applications will not be accepted prior to this time. Applications must be hand-delivered to the Ke Kilohana Sales Gallery between Friday, April 8, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. and Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. to be eligible to participate in the Lottery. Only substantially complete applications will be accepted. Applications delivered by email, facsimile, mail or courier will NOT be accepted.

The Hawaii Community Development Authority is scheduled to hear plans from The Howard

The Hawaii Community Development Authority rejected Wednesday two developers’ plans to develop a key portion of the lands surrounding Kewalo Basin Harbor in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako, but approved The Howard Hughes Corp.’s plans for the two other lots.

John Whalen, chairman of the HCDA board, said that the lot that both developers had plans for— the former McWayne Marine Supply site — is a key piece out of all of the three lots in question.

“The board has lots of concern with significant commercial development around the harbor and how it fits in with the central function of Kakaako as a harbor and accessibility for public uses,” he said. “Leasing public lands is a serious issue and commitment, particularly in public lands where there is adjacent public use. We understand the need to raise revenue for the state, but there are other ways we can do that and keep public spaces [intact].”

Whalen also had concerns that the current board did not issue the original request for proposals for the development of the three sites surrounding the harbor.

The Texas-based developer, The Howard Hughes Corp., had plans for all three parcels surrounding the harbor — the former McWayne Marine Supply site, the charter boat building site and the former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lot.

Kewalo Waterfront Partners, which includes Japanese-based firms Good Luck International Corp. and Hinamari Hawaii Inc., had plans to renovate four buildings totaling 45,000 square feet at the former McWayne Marine Supply site. Although Kewalo Waterfront Partners only submitted a plan for this site, it did plan to do small renovations at the other two lots.

Its original plan that mostly remains the same for the former McWayne Marine Supply site, which is between Ala Moana Beach Park and Kewalo Basin Harbor, includes a permanent indoor farmer’s market, food halls, a chef’s club, a signature cafe, a beachside cafe, a multi-use venue that could host weddings, a live music venue, a sunset lounge, a public viewing dock, a lei stand, a community garden, a water feature and a parking structure.

Kewalo Waterfront Partners, in its updated plan, broke the buildings down into five parcels, included a convenience store, and refined the project’s architecture. Building heights also were lowered and more ground level parking was added.

The Kewalo Waterfront Partners’ project, over a 30-year span, would’ve brought in more than $100 million in lease revenue. It also would’ve been responsible for $1 million in off-site infrastructure improvements, create 800 jobs and 250 parking stalls.

Howard Hughes, whose 60-acre Ward Village master-planned community is across the street and which manages the harbor, significantly scaled down its plans, including doing more landscape improvements and upgrades to the lot between Ala Moana Park and Kewalo Basin Harbor.

At the charter boat building lot, the developer plans to add grab-and-go vendors that will provide items such as bottled water, sunscreen, slippers and towels, as well as a take-out lunch place.

The HCDA voted 6-2 to approve Howard Hughes’ plan for this lot.

In the former NOAA lot, the developer plans to pay homage to the “ice house” that was once located at the site and was used to supply ice to harbor-based fishing boats. The Kewalo Ice House would be transformed to include indoor-outdoor courtyards, bringing people together with shared interests in art, food, music and the ocean.

The state agency voted 5-3 to approve the developer’s plan for this lot.

In total, Howard Hughes lowered its project cost for improvements to the existing buildings and open spaces to $6 million.

An early-morning fire on Wednesday was reported on a high floor of The Howard Hughes Corp.’s $403 million Waiea luxury condominium project under construction in Honolulu’s Kakaako neighborhood.

Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. David Jenkins said fire crews first received a call at 4:57 a.m. about a two-alarm structure fire at 1044 Auahi St. He said the first responders arrived at 5:02 a.m. to find that there was a fire at the upper level of the Waiea project, which has been under construction since last summer.

Rob Centra, senior vice president of design and construction management at Ward Village for The Howard Hughes Corp. (NYSE: HHC), said the fire occurred on the 21st floor of the Waiea project, which will eventually have 36 stories. Centra did not disclose the extent of any damage but did say the fire was not expected to delay construction or push back the building’s planned completion date in late 2016.

The isolated blaze was brought under control by 5:43 a.m. and fully extinguished two minutes later. No injuries were reported, and investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.

“There were complications, since the building was under construction,” Jenkins told PBN on Wednesday morning. “The standpipe system did not go up to the area that was on fire, so the fire department utilized three fire extinguishers and a utility hose at the site to bring the fire under control.”

The 466-unit complex, designed by architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, will be located at 1001 Queen Street and built on the site of what is now the former Nordstrom Rack and Office Depot building, which will be razed to make way for the new development.

Ward Village representatives say they are continuing to work with Office Depot, since no specific moving date has been set yet.

When completed in 2018, Aeo will include studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom residences that overlook the ocean and range in size from 409 to 1,331 square feet. The building will also have a lap pool; a dedicated family activity area with a pool and children’s play area; a climate-controlled gym; an outdoor lanai for yoga and meditation; a wellness center with steam and sauna rooms; a private theater; a dog-run area; surfboard and bicycle storage; and outdoor dining spaces.

Apart from the 50,000-square-foot flagship Whole Foods Market will be built on the ground floor of Aeo, the mixed-use development will also include approximately 12,000 square feet of additional retail space, with outdoor seating and retail parking.

Workers prepare for a private grand opening of the newly renovated IBM building.

Although The Howard Hughes Corp. has had similar open-air ice rinks at some of its Mainland properties, including Summerlin in Las Vegas, company representatives say the one that will be built at Ward Village in Honolulu will serve as the company’s first ice rink that will be operated in tropical weather.

The Howard Hughes Corp. applied for a building permit with the City and County of Honolulu on Oct. 6 for a public ice-skating rink at the former IBM building, with an estimated value of $200,000.

With less than a month left to the start of this year’s holiday shopping season, The Howard Hughes Corp.’s Ward Village in Honolulu plans to roll out something new this year to get shoppers into the spirit: a public outdoor ice skating rink adjacent to the developer’s retail properties in Hawaii.

The Howard Hughes Corp. confirmed to PBN on Wednesday that Ice Rink Events, a Conroe, Texas-based producer of seasonal public ice-skating rinks, will manage a 4,200-square-foot ice skating rink that the company will construct at the former IBM Building, which now serves as the sales and information center for its Ward Village master-planned community in Kakaako, that will open on the day after Thanksgiving, better known as Black Friday.

Longs Drugs will open a new Hawaii location in Ward Village’s 988 Halekauwila mixed-use tower in Kakaako that’s scheduled to be ready for occupancy in 2019, Howard Hughes Corp. executives confirmed to PBN on Tuesday.

“It’s something that has always been on our wish list for quite some time,” Katie Kaanapu, community and retail marketing director for The Howard Hughes Corp. (NYSE: HHC), told PBN. “It’s in a really central location, so it’s easy for our residents and visitors to access, whether they are coming by rail, or walking or biking to the area.”

As it is currently proposed, the 23,000-square-foot, full-service Longs Drugs store will be located on the ground floor of 988 Halekauwila, which will have 375 one-, two- and three-bedroom reserved affordable housing units.

The store will be located across the street from the future Kakaako Station for Oahu’s elevated-rail mass-transit system.

“Ward Village is committed to making Honolulu a better place for our local community to live, work, shop and play,” Nick Vanderboom, senior vice president of development for The Howard Hughes Corp., said in a statement. “This new Longs Drugs will allow Ward Village residents and other members of the nearby community to comfortably meet their daily needs with greater convenience.”

Though an opening date has not been set, Kaanapu said the entire 988 Halekauwila project is slated to be complete in 2019. Designs for the building are being finalized, she said.

Last week, the Hawaii Community Development Authority gave its approval for the project to proceed with 424 for-sale units, including 375 reserved units. Earlier, it had rejected The Howard Hughes Corp.’s request to turn them into rental units.

Construction also is continuing on the Texas-based developer’s Waiea and Anaha mixed-use towers, which are slated to be finished at the end of 2016 and the second quarter of 2017, respectively.

Meanwhile, condominium sales have begun for The Howard Hughes Corp.’s 466-unit Aeo project, which is scheduled to be complete in 2018.

Howard Hughes Corp. to start work this fall on Kewalo Basin Harbor redevelopment in Honolulu

The Hawaii Community Development Authority has delayed making a decision on two separate proposals from two developers on renovations to the lands surrounding Kewalo Basin Harbor in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako.

At its regular meeting on Wednesday, which lasted until nearly 6 p.m., the state agency that regulates development in the area heard once again from The Howard Hughes Corp. (NYSE: HHC) and Kewalo Waterfront Partners, a partnership between two Japanese firms, and planned to make decision.

But after heading into executive session, John Whalen, chairman of the HCDA board, said that the board needed more time to consider the two plans, and noted that some board members were not present to vote.

The board plans to make a decision on what to do with the three parcels surrounding Kewalo Basin Harbor at its meeting on Dec. 2.

The Howard Hughes Corp. has plans for all three parcels surrounding the harbor — the former McWayne Marine Supply site, the charter boat building site and the former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lot.

Kewalo Waterfront Partners, which includes Good Luck International Corp. and Hinamari Hawaii Inc., has plans to renovate four buildings totaling 45,000 square feet at the former McWayne Marine Supply site. Although Kewalo Waterfront Partners only submitted a plan for this site, it does plan to do small renovations at the other two lots.

Its original plan that mostly remains the same for the former McWayne Marine Supply site, which is between Ala Moana Beach Park and Kewalo Basin Harbor, includes a permanent indoor farmer’s market, food halls, a chef’s club, a signature cafe, a beachside cafe, a multi-use venue that could host weddings, a live music venue, a sunset lounge, a public viewing dock, a lei stand, a community garden, a water feature and a parking structure.

Kewalo Waterfront Partners, in its updated plan, broke the buildings down into five parcels, included a convenience store and refined the project’s architecture. Building heights also were lowered and more ground level parking was added.

Ron Iwami, president of the community group Friends of Kewalos, spoke in opposition of Kewalo Waterfront Partners’ plan mainly because it is too dense. He said he prefers The Howard Hughes Corp.’s plan because it is less dense and said that the developer has been listening to his group from the start.

The Kewalo Waterfront Partners’ project, over a 30-year span, would bring in more than $100 million in lease revenue, be responsible for $1 million in off-site infrastructure improvements, create 800 jobs and 250 parking stalls.

Howard Hughes, whose 60-acre Ward Village master-planned community is across the street and which manages the harbor, significantly scaled down its plans, including doing more landscape improvements and upgrades to the lot between Ala Moana Park and Kewalo Basin Harbor.

At the charter boat building lot, the developer plans to add grab-and-go vendors that will provide items such as bottled water, sunscreen, slippers and towels, as well as a take-out lunch place.

In former NOAA lot, the developer plans to pay homage to the “ice house” that was once located at the site and was used to supply ice to harbor-based fishing boats. The Kewalo Ice House would be transformed to include indoor-outdoor courtyards, bringing people together with shared interests in art, food, music and the ocean.

In total, Howard Hughes lowered its project cost for improvements to the existing buildings and open spaces to $6 million, according to Race Randle, vice president of development for the Texas developer.

Randle said the developer would like to renovate all three lots, and that whatever happens, the projects need to be holistically planned and implemented at one time because the lots surround a working harbor with many small businesses that need to be kept in mind as improvements are made to the surrounding lands.

Dean Okimoto, owner of Nalo Farms in Windward Oahu, opposesthe Texas developer’s plan for the Kewalo Basin Harbor lands and is in favor of the Kewalo Waterfront Partners’ project because it supports local farmers.

He raised concerns about The Howard Hughes Corp. already owning and operating the 60-acre Ward Village across the street, and that the developer would only be monopolizing the area even more if its proposals are chosen.

HAWAII AMERICANA REALTY

For the past 14 years, Mark G. Howard has practiced his skills as a licensed Realtor in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Las Vegas, Nevada and now Principal Broker & President of 'Hawaii Americana Realty', in Honolulu, Hawaii. He has gained a competitive edge in the real estate market by earning his status as an Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR).